Jafch1

Hey guys -

I have been trolling around here quietly the past few months now, and am in need of some help.

My 04 GX has had the rear suspension constantly bottoming out when going over bumps.. Its a nuisance and finally after much debate between what shocks to put in (OEM or Aftermarket) I've decided to go with Arnott Bilstein replacement shocks.

Now my purchase consisted of both front and rear shocks, which are non-adjustable. Meaning the Comfort/Sport switch will no longer work.

I am keeping the rear airbags since I just replaced both airbags and height control sensors last year.

So my question is, what fuse do I need to pull in order to keep the rear height control system active but eliminate the Adaptive Variable Suspension system?

Thanks guys!

ALAN553

Just put the word suspension in the search and all your questions have been answered here. There are replacement shocks out there that are standard, no electronics. That is seperate from the ride control height airbags.

Jafch1

Thanks allan, I have already done so several times and read over 60+ threads with "suspension" through there entirety with out any further insight as to my question.

IanB2

You shouldn't need to pull any fuses, the new struts just won't be plugged in to anything, and the air bags should function like always. I'm not sure if you'd get a dash light for not having the struts plugged in or not though.

redrocks

[QUOTE=Jafch1;7975162] I just replaced both airbags and height control sensors last year.

[QUOTE]

Wow! You replaced both and still have bottoming out? That's not good to hear, maybe the height sensors need adjustment,

Crispy3M

Sorry about the "Go read for yourself" answer. This site is excellent and there really isn't too much of that.

As for your question, I'm with IanB2. I would think you can just replace the shocks and away you go. As you stated, you will no longer have Comfort/Sport option but other than that you should be fine. As far as I know, the height control system is just that, height control.

Send chrisvr6 a PM. He replaced his shocks with non OEM shocks, exactly like you are planning. I'm pretty sure he's very happy.

Cheers,

Chris

Jafch1

Thanks Chris!

I will PM later tonight once I get home from work.

I didn't think there would be an issue, however with so much tech in these cars, you never know! lol

Hopefully the shocks arrive for install this weekend. Ill keep you guys posted

niki0796

Stay away from Suncore products for your GX470.
The quality is terrible. I wasted $900 on labor because I had to replace the shocks twice only to find out that the shocks and springs are inferior. I finally purchased Bilstein shocks and Arnott coil springs to get the more stable ride, compared to the bouncy ride with the Suncore conversion kit. Oh, Suncore never retuurned any phones calls, as they said they would, and I never got a chance to even talk to them about a possible refund-a waste of $1500.

stiles_s

Do you guys know if the Arnott bilsteins are specially valved by them, or if they're 4runner parts? Nothing wrong with 4runner parts; just checking.

I've used Bilsteins a ton in the past, and would love a replacement path when my OEs (on my 2nd set) go south.

Thanks.

Jafch1

The shocks I ordered at the Arnott Bilstein shocks that they sell now. I bought them for the front and rear of my GX to replace the OEM ones with 113k on them.

When I bought the car at 92k my service department told me the rears were slowly leaking and needed replacement. Therefore I went ahead and continued to drive the car since it was a 2nd vehicle. Now that I am going to use it as a primary I am going ahead and fixing everything to bring it up to par.

The Bilsteins from Arnott do not have the wiring for the AVS (Adaptive Variable Suspension) aka the Comfort/Sport ****. Even at employee cost, shocks all around from Lexus were 1,300 +. Since i've maybe turned the comfort/sport **** 1-2 times in the times i've owned the car its not crucial for me to have. My 100 Land Cruiser doesn't have it, and Im ok with that.

I went with Arnott's Bilstien shocks because I am a big fan of Bilstein shocks for everyday driving. My 100 LC has them and im very happy with the way they ride.

Hopefully they arrive next week so I can have them put in and try them out... expect a review from me! []

ebradford

My '03 has about 140k miles on it, and I'm pretty sure that none of the shocks were ever replaced. (Is that even possible? I know next to nothing about suspensions).

If you don't mind me asking, how much did it run you for the bilstein setup all around? I never use the sport settings anyway so fixed would be okay. I'm open to feedback from anyone on this topic, since as I said, I'm a total newb with this. My GX is getting a bit long in the tooth and I want to keep it rolling for at least another 75-100k miles.

Nothnghead

Bilstein 5100s should be right at $100 each for the shocks. That's what mine were from amazon a month ago. Much better than the worn out OEMs

Percy3822

Percy3822

chiph9

You're in the GX forum.

Chip H.